Archive By Section - Local News

LEGO Days will be held on Thursdays, July 14 and 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the Oakdale Library, 151 S. First Ave., and the finished LEGO creations will be displayed at the library. Children under the age of 4 are welcome to participate, however they must have direct parental supervision at all times.

Annette Hutton is passionate about her life's work. With the help of her husband Richard and a small team of fellow visionaries, the Hutton's are hosting their Youth Theater Workshops for the 18th season. Many area youth have taken advantage of the opportunity for hands-on learning and stage production experience this summer.

From regularly scheduled pig races to the high-diving Pirate-themed thrill show, at side, there will be plenty to see and do this week at the Stanislaus County Fair. Along with these activities, there are the midway rides and games, food, beverages, music and more. The fair runs through Sunday, July 17 at the fairgrounds in Turlock. Danielle Veenstra of the Modesto-based Almond Board of California informs fair visitors of the connection between bees and almonds, pointing out the major impact the almond industry has on the region.

With the upcoming July 30 retirement of Chief Lester Jenkins, the City of Oakdale took steps to recruit a new police chief with its announcement for the position this past Thursday, July 7. Former Modesto Police Chief Michael Harden is currently serving as interim police chief and will assist in the recruitment while the city searches for someone to lead the 23-sworn member department.

I'm sure we've all heard of the old saying "killing two birds with one stone." Well that's what I plan on doing this upcoming fishing trip. My son loves trains. He wants nothing to do with model trains or train sets, he likes the real thing. Fishing on the other hand is something that he enjoys to do, but he's not nearly as passionate for fishing as he is for trains. Last year I remembered a place on the Delta that was near a mile long section of train tracks, so I took him there to ...

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), an internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to improving law enforcement and public safety services, will visit the California Highway Patrol (CHP) starting Monday, July 11. During their four-day visit, the CALEA assessors will verify the CHP's overall compliance with a set of standards designed to ensure the agency's policies and procedures are consistent with law enforcement industry best practices.

Stanislaus County Assessor Don H. Gaekle on July 1 announced that the 2016-17 Regular Assessment Roll totaled a record $44,276,415,460. This is an increase of more than $2,457,891,581 or 5.88 percent over the 2015-16 year's roll total and exceeds the pre- recession record set in 2007-08 by $1,307,745,479.

As the country celebrates its 240th year of independence, Americans remember our men and women who have served in the Armed Forces to protect and secure the very freedoms our founders sought in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

Raley's Food For Families has launched its Summer Fresh Drive, designed to raise funds and increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at food banks throughout Northern California and Nevada.

The Bay Area Council Economic Institute's Northern California Megaregion study identified Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) and Amtrak San Joaquins services as key to helping ease congestion in the San Joaquin Valley and Bay Area. The NorCal megaregion features 21 counties and 164 cities, and has over 12 million residents, almost one third of California's population – encompassing the Bay Area, Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valley (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties), and the Monterey Bay Area.

Community members are invited to take advantage of the variety of free programs offered at the Oakdale Library this July, beginning with free computer classes. Computer Basics classes will take place on Tuesday, July 12 at 19 at 10:30 a.m.; Internet Basics will be offered on Tuesday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m.

Matthew J. Fowler received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Bradenton on June 5 at the Bradenton (Florida) Area Convention Center.